Uploaded by USEmbassyTelAviv on Nov 13, 2009
U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham and Defense and Air Attache Colonel Richard Burgess took part in the dedication ceremony for a JNF-sponsored September 11 monument and Living Memorial at the entrance to Jerusalem (in the surrounding forest) on Thursday, November 12, 2009. The event drew a crowd of 150-200 participants, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Jerusalem Monument to 9/11 Victims Unveiled by JNF
Family members gathered in Jerusalem with dignitaries and leaders to dedicate a monument to the memory of the victims of the 9/11 terror attack.
By Hana Levi Julian - Israel National News
First Publish: 11/12/2009, 4:15 PM / Last Update: 11/12/2009, 9:12 PM
IsraelNN TV
A bright blue sky could not hide the gray shadows of pain that marked the eyes of the families of the victims of the "9/11" terrorist attack that found themselves in Arazim Park in Jerusalem on Thursday. They had gathered together with international dignitaries and Israeli leaders to dedicate a new monument to the their loved ones, who lost their lives in the senseless 2001 attack on America by the Al Qaeda terrorist organization
All of the buildings were attacked by Arab terrorists who hijacked commercial airliners and used them as suicide weapons, flying the planes directly into the structures. The two Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, New York, were completely destroyed in the conflagration that followed. The Pentagon, located in Washington D.C., was damaged but not destroyed in the simultaneous multi-site attack.
A fourth airliner, aimed at the White House, was stopped from reaching its target by passengers on the plane determined to prevent the hijackers from achieving their goal. They gave their lives to attack the terrorists in their own suicide mission that led to the downing of the plane in a field in nearby Pennsylvania.
People from nations around the world lost their lives that morning, among them a number of Jews, including Israelis. Fewer Jewish New Yorkers than usual were present in the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, however, because
many had stopped on their way to work to vote in fiercely-contested local primary elections.
The 30-foot high bronze sculpture commemorating the event and honoring the memories of the victims is composed of a waving American flag transformed into a memorial flame. The monument rests on a base of gray granite, part of which comes from the original Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, destroyed in the mammoth airliner attack eight years ago. The sculpture, which was funded by the Bronka Stavsky Rabin Weintraub Trust, is surrounded by a circular, crater-like plaza and reflection area tiled in stone.
The Jerusalem monument is one of the first major international memorials to mark the terrible event and honor the memory of its victims -- and the only site outside ofNew York to recognize the names of every victim of the attack.
Memorial donor and native New Yorker Edward Blank explained that he funded the project as a means of expressing the myriad conflicting feelings he struggled with after the tragedy. "My wife died just a few days before 9/11," he said, "and then the whole world was sent reeling by the events of that day. I was looking for a meritorious way to recognize the many feelings I was having, and this memorial was the perfect fit."
U.S. Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham attended the ceremony dedicating the monument, as did U.S. Congressman Erik Paulsen, who led a delegation from the United States. They were joined by Israeli Cabinet ministers, Knesset members and many families of the victims of 9/11, as well as other distinguished guests.
NOTE:
Comments on Twitter within the last hour from PM Netanyahu :
Bibireport Netanyahu report
PM #Netanyahu on 9/11 WTC attack:"I speak on behalf of my entire nation when I say today, we are all Americans - in grief, as in defiance."
Bibireport Netanyahu report
Bibireport Netanyahu report
"It's freedom’s flame that the terrorists sought 2 extinguish.But it's same torch,that can lead the free world 2 crush the forces of terror"
